The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-05-26
THE INTER STATE Law.

AnE lN1In'0lAlL LA W.
The Chairman Of the Interstate Com
mission Writes Hanley, Of the
Minnesota b Northwestern.
Important Points Made Apparent, One
Being that the Law Must Be 81
Vigorously Enforced.
The Commission Has No Power to Per.
manently Suspend the Long and
Short Haul Clause.
WASHINGTON, Special Telegram, Nav Is
The Interstate commission has authoria ed
the publication of q letter a. to the Inter.
probation OF which there cannot be two
opinions The letter Is addressed to General
Traffic Manager Hanley. Of the Minnesota i
northwestern road, who had eomplaiAed 81
telegraph that his petition asking for relief
from the operations of the fourth clause of
the act had not been compiled with. Ana "a
questing that speed; action should be- token.
as hi: ouu Was beina arrat,v injnrsd ~ ~
ensofss@ss Il tn3 is fe oi Ietsef 81 & te
eomiiiissiof is written evidence That all
f6ads under lire ,tircQmstances and tile pub
III geherally nAax Understand The pdsition Of
thf "Reminiscences with respect TO the law
II. The following is the language Of the com-
mlsaion's letter., .., =.
First-1t is obvious that the cases the law
contemFlates In which the commission is au-
thorized to make orders for suspension are ex-
eeptonal cases; that Is to say, cases whose facts
make them stand apart from ordinary cases. The
grounds that shall warrant relief, but it plainly
intends that these grouTds in every case shal1 be
epee!sl and peculiar; that where only general
reasons operate the general law shall be left to
It's ordinary course, however serious may be the
consequences in particular cases and to particu.
lar roads and intereats.
.pS cpsf ss :se made p sy The act ths
bqsed upon ap jntest}ehti31, Which should sat-
AstXAh9 ccmn1issiOn that tho case was in fact ex-
teptional fairly within the intent of the provis-
lon made for relief. fhe Jurisdiction of the COM
mission to make orders Is evidently meant to be
somewhat closely restricted The commission, in
Its correspondence and otherwise every day Is
made aware Of the prevalence In some quarters
OF vague notion that power has been conferred
upon It to interfere anywhere and for any rea=
sons satisfactory to itself in order to prevent
pf,sourse ihdulF6 Nc such taseless notion. TIE
colnnission. Is you will agree, must find its a-
thority iii law and not in its own ideas. right or
Third-1t must he assumed that congress in
tended the general law, in its main. features at
least. to be permanent law for the country? 1t
must therefore have contemplated that consider
able sacrifices would necessarily be submitted
to by some parties and some interests, while
the general law was being established, for very
obvious reasonst It would be quite impossible to
the law which concerns SO Intimately tho com
merce Of the country without serious conse-
quences to some private interests In all such
cases. incidental injuries, however great thew
may be. must necessarily be borne for the GEN
eral good. aud if the legislature misjudgcs as to
what the general good demands it is to be ex-
THE FIRST QUESTIONS
to confront the commission unon its orpaniza.
ton were raised upon applicatons for relief fiied
Of the act. Cases in which oomnanies wera
charging mere for the shorter thar, for thu lonsar
haul over the same line in Tia SAME directi0n
eri In ~ mot wifi ", ali narts ~ 10 ooTntr,.
The feasons for doing this were thonoht Nv
fnana9ers If; marv aases %hso,TtaiJ, immeratiSo ~
and to concern Lha Interest ~ tha ,mh!ic c,,itn
a. much "a that If the rooiSs tLeuseiveS VIA To
great, and the anticipatiori Of serto"s ininry
from anv s,iddefs chan1e Vas n s"me 1nartar,
quite general The Commission. therefore; had
corporate applicarions for relief from hoarda If
trade and other nnblic botlios; from renreseTtss
tivts of large business interests which feared or
many cases anneals seemed tn he made in tho
belief that the nrobahilitv ri ininrv was ~ itself
sufficient warrant for The commission to inter-
fere. and grant relieving order It. it's scarce,v
necessary tn sav to Won thai snv snch hel;es was
withonr ieval snnnort INC "ro,;nI for ssn w.
sion anvwhere at ia ora;n,rv n,era-
for rciief withonr o;vir" th au0 oo E,v"nu
SIGN suc,, %e"ar., ev di Sae commas .,s-
as would not be M RG%sr
pies Of h,
pu,aisc ~ St.o socn power. II Tue law IN Ns
equally mschieVnns in .iI drsctiena anu
Tcsscn won1d =, ~ nther h power dor Smas
If snanension wha1evor for ~ s;,,ai p'";,
reason th.t there ~ou1d thor h 0 -, olpao; t1"
cases for it to act upon. therefore no Gases
Int Uniform effects wern of co;,sn % fa frnt
being nossh,e "a thev vera ram %e;no A oo,tomu
plated There mnst and viii he eIceut;ona a.
these in The act itself the commiss;on we a.
oblired to determine "a hest T. mirhr Mat csscs
were probably in the mind Of congress- when '~'
was nrovided for r. also fonnd itae,f co,rrortoa
with the nnestio, ,v%atbar roilrn.Is ,n;sht %o'
termine for themseIves hnt at their r&I ne ri
stances ,rd o"na;,to,,s ,.o.o EASY si
To instifv sroaa chor~o H. ~ sarter hS 20
nv wh"th.r an1,, r,,o, ,, =; tno 81 e
s s;nn c ,s ana conditions the eompis
i1o %4 tta t 70 ACT, au.nor
ea Ds me act was TO ne 3aered after i9Testi
Itself The commission, however. deemed s ned it it
wi N ms for in
cation not "a Cnmn,atn o.. = oS,aat ~ - rs,,
.nalrc Thia ~es Ino ~ - hj;dy Ht ~ ~ 49,,
siderah,e ,nis"h;es cnuid Ti1o1 f VIA. mo vG
the existing conditions ~ th;nvs r. roInain for
= brief period whether then smffered To stand "
not. and that harmful results from smdden
change in the law might thereby to come
extent be ayerted. This. of course. also cave
the commission snch onnortmnitv eI tor
careful study Of the system which
congress Undertook to reform "A
would otherwise have heen wanting rhis
time believed had imnortant advantaoes aud
stiii believes will condnce to the ess results IN
the end Won sneals Strone1v and - rnestiv 81
reasona for orantinp vnur ann1ication Int in
order to xverrant !. ha;rc 9r.ntaI T. ~ mr..
enough that the application, If considered by it.
ot ~ @ ~ eacn case wnaI emecS ewing &C.